Adler On

Topical Index to the Works of Mortimer J. Adler

My purpose in writing the
entries is to establish a precise meaning for the words of common, everyday speech.

In the last thirty years or so I have written thirty or more
philosophical
books, intended for the general public, men and women whose special
vocation is not philosophy but who nevertheless regard philosophizing to be
everybody's business. Unlike the works of professors of philosophy who
write books and journal articles for other professors to read, these books
have been written for everyone to read. In writing them, I have tried to
avoid all technical jargon, all words not in the vocabulary of everyday
speech.

Unfortunately, many of the words in that vocabulary are used in many
senses, most of them imprecise, wrong, or inadequate. It becomes
necessary to give these ordinary words the precision they should have when
they are used for philosophical purposes.

The lists of
Recommended Readings
refer first to selections from
Great Books of the Western World. The authors and books
recommended are set down in the chronological order in which they
appear in the volumes of that set of books. In addition, I have
recommended in each case the reading of other works--works not
included in the set, but of great relevance to the problems being
considered in the particular section.